Book of Common Prayer
Confidence in God’s Protection.
For the music director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.
61 (A)Hear my cry, God;
(B)Give Your attention to my prayer.
2 From the (C)end of the earth I call to You when my heart is (D)faint;
Lead me to (E)the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a (F)refuge for me,
A (G)tower of strength against the enemy.
4 Let me [a](H)dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me (I)take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
5 For You have heard my (J)vows, God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who (K)fear Your name.
6 You will [b](L)prolong the king’s [c]life;
His years will be like generations.
7 He will [d]sit enthroned (M)before God forever;
Appoint (N)faithfulness and truth that they may watch over him.
8 So I will (O)sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may (P)pay my vows day by day.
God Alone a Refuge from Treachery and Oppression.
For the music director; [e]according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
62 (Q)My soul waits in silence for God alone;
From Him (R)comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my (S)rock and my salvation,
My (T)stronghold; I will not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will you attack a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a (U)leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
4 They have planned only to thrust him down from his high position;
They (V)delight in falsehood;
They (W)bless with [f]their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. Selah
5 My soul, (X)wait in silence for God alone,
For my hope is from Him.
6 He alone is (Y)my rock and my salvation,
My refuge; I will not be shaken.
7 My (Z)salvation and my glory rest on God;
The rock of my strength, my (AA)refuge is in God.
8 (AB)Trust in Him at all times, you people;
(AC)Pour out your hearts before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary.
For the music director. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 [a]May (A)God arise, [b]may His enemies be scattered,
And [c]may those who hate Him flee from His presence.
2 As (B)smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As (C)wax melts before a fire,
So the (D)wicked will perish before God.
3 But the (E)righteous will be joyful; they will rejoice before God;
Yes, they will rejoice with gladness.
4 Sing to God, (F)sing praises to His name;
[d](G)Exalt Him who (H)rides through the deserts,
Whose (I)name is [e]the Lord, and be jubilant before Him.
5 A (J)father of the fatherless and a (K)judge [f]for the widows,
Is God in His (L)holy dwelling.
6 God [g](M)makes a home for the lonely;
He (N)leads out the prisoners into prosperity,
Only (O)the rebellious live in parched lands.
7 God, when You (P)went forth before Your people,
When You (Q)marched through the desert, Selah
8 The (R)earth quaked;
The (S)heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
[h](T)Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You (U)made plentiful rain fall, God;
You confirmed Your inheritance when it was [i]parched.
10 Your creatures settled in it;
In Your kindness You (V)provided for the poor, God.
11 The Lord gives the [j]command;
The (W)women who proclaim good news are a great army:
12 “(X)Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will (Y)divide the spoils!”
13 [k]When you lie down (Z)among the sheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with [l]glistening gold.
14 When the Almighty (AA)scattered the kings [m]there,
It was snowing in (AB)Zalmon.
15 (AC)The mountain of Bashan is a [n]mountain of God;
The mountain of Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.
16 Why do you look with envy, you mountains of many peaks,
At the mountain God has (AD)desired as His dwelling?
Indeed, (AE)the Lord will dwell there forever.
17 The (AF)chariots of God are [o]myriads, (AG)thousands upon thousands;
[p]The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.
18 You have (AH)ascended on high, You have (AI)led captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among people,
Even among the rebellious as well, that [q]the Lord God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily (AJ)bears our burden,
(AK)The God who is our salvation. Selah
20 God is to us a (AL)God of salvation;
And (AM)to [r]God the Lord belong ways of escape [s]from death.
21 God certainly will (AN)shatter the heads of His enemies,
The hairy [t]head of one who goes about in his guilt.
22 The Lord [u]said, “(AO)I will bring them back from Bashan.
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 So that [v](AP)your foot may shatter them in blood,
And the tongue of your (AQ)dogs may have its portion from your enemies.”
24 They have seen (AR)Your procession, God,
The procession of my God, my King, [w](AS)into the sanctuary.
25 The (AT)singers went on, the musicians after them,
[x]In the midst of the (AU)young women beating tambourines.
26 (AV)Bless God in the congregations,
Even the Lord, you who are of the (AW)fountain of Israel.
27 (AX)Benjamin, the [y]youngest, is there, [z]ruling them,
The leaders of Judah in their company,
The leaders of (AY)Zebulun, the leaders of Naphtali.
28 [aa]Your God has (AZ)commanded your strength;
Show Yourself strong, God, You (BA)who acted [ab]in our behalf.
29 [ac]Because of Your temple at Jerusalem
(BB)Kings will bring gifts to You.
30 Rebuke the (BC)animals [ad]in the reeds,
The herd of (BD)bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Trampling the pieces of silver;
He has (BE)scattered the peoples who delight in war.
31 [ae]Messengers will come from (BF)Egypt;
[af](BG)Cush will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, you (BH)kingdoms of the earth,
(BI)Sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 To Him who (BJ)rides upon the [ag](BK)highest heavens, which are from ancient times;
Behold, (BL)He [ah]speaks with His voice, a (BM)mighty voice.
34 (BN)Ascribe strength to God;
His majesty is over Israel,
And (BO)His strength is in the [ai]skies.
35 [aj]God, You are (BP)awesome from Your [ak]sanctuary.
The God of Israel Himself (BQ)gives strength and power to the people.
(BR)Blessed be God!
Isaac Is Born
21 (A)Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had [a]promised. 2 (B)So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at (C)the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham named his son who was born to him, the son whom Sarah bore to him, (D)Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was (E)eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was (F)a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Sarah said, “God has made (G)laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh [b]with me.” 7 And she said, “(H)Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son in his old age.”
8 And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
Sarah Turns against Hagar
9 Now Sarah saw (I)the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, (J)mocking Isaac. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “(K)Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be an heir with my son [c]Isaac!” 11 (L)The matter [d]distressed Abraham greatly because of his son Ishmael. 12 But God said to Abraham, “[e]Do not be distressed because of the boy and your slave woman; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for (M)through Isaac [f]your descendants shall be named. 13 And of (N)the son of the slave woman I will make a nation also, because he is your [g]descendant.” 14 So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a [h]skin of water, and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water in the skin was used up, she [i]left the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “May I not [j]see the boy die!” And she sat opposite him, and (O)raised her voice and wept. 17 God (P)heard the boy crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “[k]What is the matter with you, Hagar? (Q)Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him by [l]the hand, (R)for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God (S)opened her eyes, and she saw (T)a well of water; and she went and filled the [m]skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 And (U)God was with the boy, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21 (V)He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
13 (A)All these died in faith, (B)without receiving the promises, but (C)having seen and welcomed them from a distance, and (D)having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been [a]thinking of that country which they left, (E)they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a (F)heavenly one. Therefore (G)God is not [b]ashamed to be (H)called their God; for (I)He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith (J)Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had (K)received the promises was offering up his [c]only son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “(L)Through Isaac your [d]descendants shall be named.” 19 [e]He considered that (M)God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back [f]as a [g](N)type. 20 By faith (O)Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. 21 By faith (P)Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and (Q)worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith (R)Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.
Words to the Jews
41 (A)So then the Jews were complaining about Him because He said, “I am the bread that (B)came down out of heaven.” 42 And they were saying, “(C)Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother (D)we know? How does He now say, ‘(E)I have come down out of heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop complaining among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me (F)draws him; and I will (G)raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written (H)in the Prophets: ‘(I)And they shall all be (J)taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46 (K)Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes (L)has eternal life. 48 (M)I am the bread of life. 49 (N)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that (O)comes down out of heaven, so that anyone may eat from it and (P)not die. 51 (Q)I am the living bread that (R)came down out of heaven; if anyone eats from this bread, (S)he will live forever; and the bread which I will give (T)for the life of the world also is (U)My flesh.”
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